Bob Bashara wants lesser bond in hit man case

Grosse Pointe Park man held under $15 million bond for solicitation of murder charge

DETROIT – A Detroit-area man who authorities say tried to hire a hit man to kill someone charged with his wife's murder is asking a judge to lower his $15 million cash bond.

Wayne County Circuit Judge Bruce Morrow heard a request Thursday from a lawyer for Bob Bashara.

Lawyer Mark Kriger said Bashara is strapped financial and is not a flight risk.

"A $15 million bond, your honor, is no different than a $200 million bond or a $1 billion bond. I think the idea is to get a bond that he could conceivably post and at the same time assure he remain in the community and abides by the conditions that this court imposes in the bond," Kriger said.

Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Lisa Lindsey said Bashara needs to stay jailed base on jailhouse conversations he's been having.

Lindsey says as Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy was announcing charges against him in June, Bashara was on a jail phone ordering someone to evict a tenant of his. That tenant is apparently a key witness in the case and is the person Bashara was working with allegedly to have Joe Gentz killed.

Lindsey says once the prosecution shared evidence in the case with Bashara's mother and cousin, the family no longer supported Bashara and "wants nothing to do with him."

Confronted with the evidence again on the jail house phone by his family, Bashara allegedly said "It is what it is." 

Bashara has reportedly been using the jail phone to find a new girlfriend "to do his bidding," according to prosecutors.

Lindsey also said Bashara has been spending time online, making contact with someone using the screen name "Obedient slave."

Prosecutors say Bashara's home is for sale, he's out of work, a property of his is in foreclosure so arguments made that he needs to be out to keep his business interests afloat aren't true.

Morrow said he would consider the request and make a decision by Tuesday.

Authorities believe Bashara wanted to rub out handyman Joe Gentz because he feared Gentz would identify him in the death of Jane Bashara.

Jane Bashara of Grosse Pointe Park was found dead in her car in a Detroit neighborhood in January. Gentz is charged with strangling her.

Bob Bashara has pleaded not guilty to a charge of solicitation to commit murder. His trial is due to start on Nov. 12.

Bashara also says he had no role in his wife's death.

More: Grosse Pointe Park murder investigation

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